Sustainability: Small Habits That Make A Big Difference

Published on: 19 Dec, 2024 By: Meera

What Is Sustainability?

Human beings engage in many daily activities to sustain themselves, such as logging for building materials and paper, farming for food, and extracting oil to fuel cars and generate electricity, which powers our homes and appliances.

However, these activities consume vast amounts of the Earth’s resources—some of which cannot be replenished at the rate they are being used, or in some cases, not at all.

For example, trees take an average of 20-30 years to mature, meaning it would take decades to replace the trees being cut down every day worldwide. Similarly, it takes millions of years for fossil fuels to form, yet they are being extracted and consumed at an unsustainable rate. What will happen when these resources are exhausted?

Sustainability focuses on managing these human activities and resources more efficiently by reducing consumption and conserving what we have. This helps ease the strain on the environment and slows the depletion of precious natural resources.

Why We Should Aim To Be More Sustainable

The Earth is our only home, and it’s up to us to protect it. Whether we realize it or not, our daily habits contribute to the harm of the planet. Our everyday choices impact water and land pollution, which harms both terrestrial and aquatic animals.

For example, buying physical books fuels the demand for paper, which drives deforestation. Cutting down trees not only displaces wildlife but also exacerbates the climate crisis. These small, seemingly harmless habits accumulate and contribute to the planet’s decline.

Fortunately, there are simple ways we can make a positive impact by replacing these habits with more sustainable ones. By doing so, we reduce the strain on natural resources, minimize pollution, and even save money on utility bills.

Small Habits, Big Changes

A single person’s change in habits might seem small, but if more people follow, the collective impact can be significant. The environment will undoubtedly notice humanity’s efforts. These changes don’t need to be grand to make a difference.

A wise approach is to avoid striving for perfection. What the planet truly needs is a large number of people practicing sustainability imperfectly, rather than a few individuals doing it perfectly.

Here are some simple but effective habits that support sustainability:

1. Turn off appliances when you’re not using them

The habit of leaving appliances running passively has become so ingrained in daily life that we often don’t realize how much energy is being wasted. It might seem insignificant in the moment, but over time, it adds up—resulting in an increased strain on the environment to generate power, and higher electricity bills.

To conserve energy, make it a point to turn off lights, lamps, and air conditioners when you’re not using them. Also, remember to switch off the fan and TV when they’re not in use.

2. Close the tap when brushing your teeth

Leaving a tap running without use can waste a surprising amount of water. For example, if you place a container under the running tap while you brush your teeth, you’ll collect a significant amount of clean water. If this becomes a daily habit, the water wasted adds up quickly. When you consider how many people have this habit, the total waste becomes even more staggering.

With water becoming increasingly scarce due to climate change and droughts, it’s important to be mindful of our consumption. Small actions, like fixing leaky taps and pipes, can make a big difference. For instance, I once placed a container under a slow drip overnight, and it collected a cup of water in just 8 hours. If left unchecked, that would waste 68.5 gallons in a year!

3. Buy in bulk more often

Buying in bulk helps reduce packaging waste. For example, you can buy one 10-pound container of oats instead of ten individual one-pound packets, which requires less paper or cardboard. Consider purchasing items you use frequently, such as grains, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, or mayo, in bulk.

Bulk buying also minimizes transportation impact by reducing the frequency of purchases, which in turn lowers vehicular carbon emissions. Plus, bulk items are often cheaper than buying individual packages, making it a more cost-effective and sustainable option.

4. Use reusable shopping bags

Plastic bags are convenient, but their environmental impact is far too great. They take hundreds of years to decompose, leaching harmful chemicals into the soil and waterways in the process. These bags also pose a threat to both land and marine animals, who often mistake them for food, leading to malnutrition, internal injuries, suffocation, and death.

Additionally, plastic bags are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource, further contributing to environmental harm.

To help reduce this damage, switching to reusable shopping bags is a simple yet effective solution. Keep a few reusable bags in your car or tucked in your bag so you’re always prepared for unexpected shopping trips or if you forget to bring them along.

5. Walk, bike, carpool, or take public transportation more often

The number of cars on the road increases significantly each year, leading to a rise in greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide. This also accelerates the demand for oil, which is a non-renewable resource.

Consider walking or biking when driving isn’t necessary. It’s a great way to get exercise and enjoy fresh air. Alternatively, taking the bus or carpooling with a friend can help reduce the environmental impact of driving alone.

6. Use a water filter instead of buying bottled water

Installing a water filter on your kitchen tap can replace the need for countless bottled water purchases.

If you estimate how much bottled water you buy each month and then calculate the total for a year, you may be surprised by the amount. Not only will this reduce harmful plastic waste, but it will also save you a significant amount of money.

7. Buy reusable kitchen items

Switch disposable plates, cups, cutlery, and straws for reusable alternatives. These items can last for years and help eliminate nearly all waste. Consider using metal baking pans and sheets instead of single-use ones, and opt for silicone cupcake molds or liners for easy removal instead of paper liners. Additionally, choose resealable, washable bags over disposable zip-lock bags. You can also lessen paper towel use by hanging a hand towel on a kitchen rack to dry your hands.

You don’t need to make all these changes at once. Start by incorporating them gradually. While reusable items may cost more upfront, they’ll save you money over time since you won’t need to keep replacing disposable options.

8. Buy more e-books and less physical books

If you’re a student or an avid reader, consider switching to more e-books. While physical books have their charm and can enhance the reading experience, digital books are a more environmentally friendly option since paper production requires cutting down trees.

You don’t have to completely stop buying physical books, but try to avoid purchasing them when e-books are available. Another sustainable option is to buy used or outdated library books, as they are no longer in high demand and won’t contribute to the need for new production.

9. Incorporate more plants in your diet

Farming for meat and milk is a major contributor to climate change due to deforestation, excessive water use, and methane emissions from animals. To reduce your environmental impact, be mindful of animal product consumption and explore plant-based alternatives. Trying plant-based dishes at restaurants and experimenting with plant-based recipes can help. A plant-rich diet also offers various health benefits.

10. Avoid Unnecessary online buying

Overconsumption, often fueled by social media and product promotions, contributes significantly to carbon emissions, especially with online shopping. The shipping process—from the company to the shipping carrier and finally to your home—adds up in terms of transportation-related emissions. To reduce your impact, focus on buying only when necessary, make bulk purchases occasionally, and support local shopping to meet your needs more sustainably.

Summary

Turn off the lights, lamps, air conditioners, fans, and TV when you’re not using them. This wastes power, and increases the electricity bills.
Close the tap when brushing your teeth, and fix leaky pipes. Water waste adds up fast – a slow drip faucet can add up to 68.5 gallons of clean wasted water a year, if left unattended.
Buy in bulk more often. This reduces packaging waste, and minimises transportation impact as the frequency of purchases reduces, thus lowering vehicular carbon emissions.
Use reusable shopping bags. Plastic bags take hundreds of years to decompose and emit harmful chemicals which leech the soil and waterways. Animals mistake them for food which causes severe harm – malnutrition, internal injuries, suffocation, and death. Keep reusable bags in your car or bag for spontaneous shopping or in case you forget them.
Walk, bike, carpool, or take public transportation more often. This reduces the environmental impact of solo driving. Plus, walking or biking are great ways to get more exercise and fresh air.
Use a water filter instead of buying bottled water. This replaces the need for countless bottled water purchases, and will save you a lot of money, too.
Buy reusable kitchen items. Replace disposable items – plates, cups, cutlery, straws, baking pans, sheets, cupcake liners, molds, and zip-lock bags- with reusable ones. And, lessen paper towel use by hanging a towel in the kitchen to dry hands. This will save you a lot of money in the long run.
Buy more E-books and less physical books. Although tangible books add to the reading experience, they contribute significantly to deforestation. Opt more for E-book purchases when they are available, and consider buying used or outdated library books (their low demand won’t contribute to the need for production).
Incorporate more plants into your diet. Animal farming is one of the leading contributors to climate change due to deforestation, excessive water use, and methane emissions from animals. Be more mindful of your animal-product consumption, and explore plant-based alternatives. There are many great options out there.
Avoid unnecessary online buying. The shipping process – from company to shipping carrier to your home – contributes significantly to carbon emissions. Try to buy only when it’s necessary, make occasional bulk purchases, and support local store more.

Final Words

Remember, don’t aim for perfection—what the planet needs is many people practicing sustainability imperfectly, rather than a few individuals doing it perfectly. To make these small habits stick, take a gradual and intentional approach by linking them to their real-world impact. At times, it may feel insignificant when you’re the only one making the change, but if others follow, the collective effort will ease the pressure on the planet.

As the saying goes, “One small step for man, one giant leap for humanity.”